The issue

What is homelessness?

80,000 young people experience
homelessness in a year in the UK

Homeless people are not just people that sleep on the streets. Although many of the young people that Centrepoint works with have slept rough in the past, most have been homeless in other ways. For example, they might have been:

Why young people become homeless

Homelessness is not just a housing problem. Family breakdown, complex support needs, deprivation, crime, exclusion from school, transitions from care and becoming a refugee are just some of the reasons why young people become homeless.Read more

Effects of homelessness

Homelessness has a serious impact on both the young people affected and wider society. Young people describe their lives as being 'on hold' while they are homeless, making it much harder for them to achieve their goals and ensure their own well-being.Read more

Public policy

An important part of the work that Centrepoint does is with national and local government to improve services for all homeless young people. We are working closely with the government to ensure that homeless young people do not lose out as a result of reforms.Read more

Pressure from Centrepoint and other
organisations led to the Government dropping plans to cut housing
benefit by 10% for anyone unemployed for more than 12 months.